Hopes and Fears
by L Jerome
Summary: After losing his wife Kimberly, Tommy Oliver is left to raise their teenage daughter alone.  And he carries a secret that will change everything between them.  Summary stinks but go with it. Takes place after Dino Thunder Mpreg, OC Tommy/Hayley Connor/OC
1. Chapter 1

Michaela Rose Oliver always hated funerals...

Anytime they had been requested to attend, she had always found some way to not go. But there was no getting around it this time and she knew it. After all, how could anyone skip the funeral of their mother? Holding back tears, she stood alone in front of her mother's casket, noticing that the top was decorated with bright pink roses. Fitting... She brushed away a piece of her short dark brown hair that had blown in her face. It was a warm summer's day, but inside she felt so cold. Beautiful day to do anything else but this...

The previous week had become such a blur to her. She had just arrived home a few days before from studying abroad for her junior year of high school and the three of them were going out to eat to celebrate. They had said they had a surprise for her. Kimberly had been working late that day and was going to meet them at the restaurant. They were just getting ready to leave when the police car pulled into the driveway; the officer's face solemn as he walked up the sidewalk. There had been a car accident, a head-on collision that had thrown Kimberly into the backseat of the car; killing her instantly. She didn't remember much about the moment that she had heard the news, only remembering the color draining from Tommy's face as the reality sunk in, the instant feeling that she had been punched in the stomach and feeling her father holding her close as the two of them sobbed.

And now here they were a week later at the gravesite as they prepared to bury her. The funeral had been quite the event. Most of the people she didn't even know, except for the fact that she knew that several were former Power Rangers. Some she did recognize; her father's friends like Adam and Billy and of course she knew the four previous Rangers that her father served alongside while she was traveling; Ethan, Kira, Trent and Connor. Hearing someone say her name, she watched as Hayley weaved her way through the crowd to pull her into a comforting hug. "I'm so sorry about your mom Michaela..." she said softly as Michaela couldn't fight the tears anymore and sobbed into her shoulder.

* * *

><p>From a little ways away, Tommy watched the scene; his heart breaking to see his daughter falling apart. He was about to go over there when he felt a hand on his shoulder.<br>"Adam...thanks for coming." Tommy said when he realized who it was.  
>"No problem man." he replied giving him a hug. "I'm so sorry about Kimberly. How are you two holding up?"<br>"As well as we can. Some points are harder than others. Michaela's been taking it really hard though. It's been a struggle just to get her to eat anything."  
>"Well, if there's anything I can do to help you two out..."<br>"Actually..." Tommy interrupted. "There is something I need to talk to you about. You got a minute?"  
>"Sure. What's up?"<p>

But he wouldn't tell him there. Leading him to a spot a little distance away, he struggled with how he could possibly tell him what was going on. But Adam was his best friend; and seeing his worried expression, he knew he'd be able to take whatever was thrown at him. He swallowed hard. There was no easy way to say it. So he decided to just come out with it. "I'm pregnant." he said simply.

"Are you kidding me?" Adam shouted, causing a few passerby to look in confusion.  
>"Not so loud!" Tommy hissed. "You want everyone here to know?"<br>"Sorry. I didn't mean to..." he said apologetically. "I just can't believe you're doing this again..."  
>"Well Kimberly wanted..."<br>"You don't have to explain it to me." Adam interrupted. "If the two of you wanted another baby, then that's great." He was quiet for a moment. "But are you sure you'll be able to do this now without Kimberly? Michaela's almost grown and you're not as young as you used to be. I mean, have you considered possibly...?"  
>"Absolutely not." he said defensively. "It's Kimberly's. I couldn't possibly get rid of it."<br>"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even suggested that... When did you find out...I mean...how far are you?" he asked after a moment.  
>"About 9 weeks. We just found out about 4 weeks ago."<br>"And what does Michaela think about all this?"  
>Tommy let out a long breath. "She doesn't know anything about it yet."<br>"Why haven't you told her?"  
>"We were going to tell her that night at the restaurant. But then everything went crazy. Adam, she's been through so much already. And besides, how do you tell your daughter that you can even get pregnant in the first place, much less already are?"<br>"You mean you haven't even told her about...?"

Tommy slowly shook his head.  
>"She's not going to like this Tommy." he said quietly. "You've gotta tell her."<br>"I am." He insisted. "I just need the right time. Besides, it's still early on. I really want to wait until I'm sure this is going to go through."  
>"I'm not sure about this..."<br>"Please Adam," he begged. "just keep it on the down-low for right now. I'll tell her soon. I promise."  
>"Okay." He agreed. "I won't say anything."<br>"Thanks."  
>"No problem." he replied as he clasped Tommy's shoulders. "And like I said, if you need anything, don't hesitate to let me know."<br>"Thanks man." he said as he then excused himself to walk over to where Michaela still stood.

"Sweetie." he said softly as he drew her into a hug. "We've got to go."  
>That brought the tears on again. She knew that once they left, the casket would be lowered into the ground and that would be it. "I...I can't leave my mom..." she cried; her brown eyes now red from crying.<br>Tommy wiped his own eyes, struggling to be strong for her. "I know... But we'll make it through this together. We just have to keep moving forward. It's what your mom would want..."  
>She took a shaky breath. "Yeah...I know. Just let me do one more thing."<p>

Taking a step closer to the casket, she pressed two fingers to her lips and then placed them on the casket.  
>"Bye mom..." she whispered. "I'm going to miss you so much." After grabbing a rose from the casket, she then walked back to her father and the two then walked the long path to the vehicles; neither wanting to watch as the casket was lowered into the ground.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

About a month later, life had managed to settle back into a somewhat state of normalcy. Michaela had started her senior year of high school and true to his word; Tommy had gone back to teaching high school science. For the most part, everything was going as usual.

"Except for one glaring exception…" Tommy noted, looking at his reflection in the mirror as he dressed after a shower. Only 4 months along, the bump was becoming more and more pronounced with each passing week. He wouldn't be able to hide behind his loose clothing much longer._ 'Especially from Michaela…'_ he thought as he slipped into a large t-shirt. This was it; he decided, making his way toward her room. He had waited long enough. She needed to know what was going on. Every step he took felt like it was taking an eternity. As he prepared to step in, he rested his hand on the small bulge of his stomach and took a deep breath. It was now or never.

* * *

><p>"Can I come in?" Tommy asked as he stuck his head in the open door.<br>"Yeah; come on in." was the reply as he stepped in the room. Michaela sat cross-legged on her bed, deep in thought as she poured through several boxes of pictures.  
>"What's all this for?" he asked.<br>"It's a project I'm working on. I'm making a photo collage of everybody to hang on my wall when I go off to college next year. I'm picking out some pictures of us to go around the edge."

Joining her on the bed, he picked up some pictures from the pile and smiled. There were pictures of him and Kimberly when they first met, from graduation, the day he proposed and the day they got married. 'Good memories…' he thought to himself.  
>"I've been trying to find some pictures of when mom was pregnant with me and when I was a newborn, but I haven't found any yet." Michaela said. "Do you know if mom kept anymore photo boxes anywhere?"<br>"Actually…" he said, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably. "There's something that I need to talk to about that. Do you remember the stories your mom and I used to tell you about when we were Power Rangers?"  
>"Oh sure." she smiled. "Those were always my favorites. Pretty much know them by heart now."<br>"Well there was one that I never told you about. After your mom and I had been Rangers for a while, Rita and Lord Zedd had decided that they needed to have an heir to carry on their legacy. But being who she was, Rita wanted someone else to do that for her. They were actually after your mom, but they ended up capturing me instead."

Michaela's eyes were wide as he continued. "So she decided to just make do with what she had. She knocked me out and forced a concoction on me that changed me to where I could carry her children. Thankfully, your mom had gone for help and they rescued me before Rita could get any further. But the damage had already been done. There was no way to change me back to the way I was. So we just kept it a secret between us; only the other Rangers knew."  
>"Dad, why are you telling me about something that happened almost 20 years ago?" she asked. "What does that have to do with anything?"<br>"I'm getting to that." he replied. "Well time went on; your mom and I got married and we decided to start trying to start a family. We tried for almost 2 years. But every time we'd get pregnant, Kim would miscarry. So I made an offer to your mom that since I was able that I'd carry our baby. And out of that…came you."

"You're joking, right?" she almost laughed but stopped when she realized he was serious. "There's no way that's even possible. I don't believe you."  
>"I'll prove it to you." he said, pulling an old photo out of his pocket. "We didn't take any pictures when I was pregnant with you; didn't want to risk it getting into the wrong hands. But Adam did take this one right after you were born. He was actually the one that delivered you..."<br>Handing her the photo, Michaela felt her jaw drop. In the photo, she could see Tommy lying in a hospital bed; tired but completely happy. Kimberly was next to him, beaming from ear to ear in excitement and in his arms, a crying, dark haired baby girl that couldn't have been more than a few minutes old.  
>"That…that's me." she said quietly as Tommy nodded. "Oh my god…" were the only words she could get out as the room began to spin.<br>"There's more." he said after a while.  
>"More?" she managed to choke out. "What else could there possibly be?"<br>It was a moment before he continued. "About a year ago, your mom and I discussed the possibility of having another baby and…"  
>"No…" she paled. "Please don't tell me you're pregnant…"<br>He slowly nodded as he said, "Four months."

All of a sudden, she felt as if she couldn't catch her breath. Looking down at her hands, she realized she was trembling.  
>"Adam and Hayley are the only other ones that know besides you." he said quickly, trying to reassure her. "Everything's going to be alright."<br>But the words were lost in her ears. "I…I have to go…" she said, shoving the picture in her pocket as she started quickly walking towards the bedroom door.  
>"Please Michaela…" Tommy said as he put his hand on her shoulder. But at his touch, she pulled away harshly; a look of pain, hurt and anger reflected in her eyes. Without a word, she ran down the stairs, grabbing the keys to her car before slamming the door behind her. Tommy could only watch through the bedroom window as her car pulled out of the driveway and sped off into the night; 'I'm so sorry…' the only words escaping from his lips.<p>

* * *

><p>"It's quite the story." Trent said as he looked at the photo.<p>

Michaela had decided to go to the Cybercafe, where she had met up with Trent, Ethan, Kira and Connor and had just finished telling them the whole story. Her cell phone had rung again for the umpteenth time in 10 minutes. Rolling her eyes, she powered down her phone before shoving it into her pocket with an aggravated sigh.  
>"So what are you going to do now?" Ethan asked.<br>"I don't know." she replied, staring at the ceiling as if it were the most interesting thing on the planet. "I'm just not sure if I can forgive him for this…"  
>"But Michaela, we've all had to keep secrets before." Connor spoke up. "How is this any different? I mean, it's just another secret..."<p>

"Another secret…" she repeated as she looked at him, trying to hold back her anger. Kira blew out her cheeks, knowing that he probably shouldn't have gone there.  
>"You really think that this is just another secret?" Michaela asked as Connor nervously nodded his head. "Well in some ways, it is. You know what it's like to hide a piece of yourself from the world for a while to protect your life and the lives of people you love. But once that part of your life is over, it's much easier to keep that secret. And for me, it wasn't hard at all. By the time I came along, my parents had retired and I was halfway around the world when he joined up with you guys. So it really hasn't had much effect on me. But this…if the wrong person finds out about this, it could be terrible."<p>

"How do you mean?" Ethan asked.  
>"My dad's teaching degree, my college education, any sort of normal life would be gone. You remember what happened with the last 'pregnant man' and all that media frenzy… Not to mention that the only reason he can even get pregnant at all is because of a wacked-out alien experiment. The medical community would have a field day with him; not to mention me and the baby… And it's not even that that's really getting to me…"<br>"What is it then?" Trent asked.

"He never told me." she said quietly. "My life has always been filled with so many secrets that needed to be kept; he shouldn't have kept something like this from me. And then for them to decide to have another kid…and never even mention it to me. He doesn't have mom anymore; someone's got to help him take care of it. I had all these plans for going to a college out of state after graduation. How can he expect me to give all that for a baby that I didn't even want? Well he's got another thing coming if he thinks I'm changing my plans for this baby…"  
>"But Michaela," Kira started. "You can't just leave Doctor O…"<br>"I didn't ask for your opinion!" Michaela snapped at her, and then realized what she'd said. "I'm sorry Kira." she said softly. "I didn't mean to snap at you."  
>Kira nodded as if she understood. Michaela sat there thinking for a moment. "Look. I'm not asking for an answer to my problem and I don't need someone telling me how I should feel about this. I just need somewhere to go for the night." She looked at the four of them. "Please." she pleaded. "I just can't go home right now."<p>

"Alright." Kira spoke up. "You can stay with me. But just for tonight; tomorrow, you go home. And I'm calling Doctor O to let him know you're okay."  
>"Fine." She agreed reluctantly as the two of them headed out to Kira's apartment. No one noticed as a blond haired girl sitting at a nearby table pressed a button on her cell phone; the 'Audio Recording Saved' message appearing on the screen.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

"Tommy, get down from there! You could fall off that and hurt yourself!" Hayley said sternly.  
>He could hardly keep himself from laughing at her reaction. He was just standing on a step stool and getting a box out of the top of a closet, not standing on a roof.<br>"Hayley, I'm not sick. I'm just pregnant. I think I can handle this on my own."  
>"Sure you can." she said as she took the box from his hands. "But I'd rather be safe. What's in here anyway?"<br>"Michaela's baby clothes. Kimberly saved all that stuff. Figured it might come in handy someday." Taking an outfit from the box, he coughed. "Could use a wash though…"  
>"Leave that to me." Hayley smiled as she took the box downstairs.<p>

But as they were folding the tiny clothes later on, Tommy seemed to be deep in thought.  
>"You ok?" Hayley asked, concerned.<br>"I think I've really messed up this time…" he said quietly.  
>"How do you mean?"<br>"I told Michaela about the baby last night."  
>"How'd she take it?"<br>"Not good. She ended up running off. She wouldn't even answer her cell phone when I called. Kira had to call me to let she me know she was alright. I just don't know what to do about her…"  
>"Don't worry. She'll be alright. I've been there before." Tommy gave her a skeptical look. "Ok. Not ENTIRELY there…" she chuckled. "But you know what I mean. I was 14 when my mom told me she was pregnant with my little brother. Well, I had a fit. I was perfectly content with the way things were; I didn't want a baby coming in and changing everything. You wouldn't believe how upset I was…"<br>"Is there an upside to this story cause this really isn't helping…" Tommy asked.  
>"The point is," Hayley continued. "It took awhile for me to accept what was coming, but eventually I did and now my brother and I are extremely close. Just give her some time. She'll come around eventually too."<br>"I hope so…" Tommy said as he let out a breath. "You know, Kimberly was always good with this kind of thing. She always seemed to know the right thing to say when Michaela was upset." He wiped his eyes and swallowed hard. "Hayley…I don't know if I can do this without her…" he said, his voice shaky.

Leaning over, she wrapped her arms around him; her forehead resting on his. "Tommy, listen to me. You've been a wonderful father to Michaela and I know in my heart that you'll be just as good of a father to this baby."  
>His eyes met hers as she wiped a tear from his cheek.<br>"And you won't be alone." she continued. "You know I'll always be here to…" but the rest of her sentence was lost as she suddenly found Tommy's lips pressed against hers. She was taken aback at first. She had known Tommy since college, since his marriage to Kimberly; this reaction was the last thing she ever expected. Still, she didn't seem to mind so much as she leaned into his kiss. The sound of the front door opening caused Tommy to break the kiss first.  
>"That's Michaela." he said as he struggled to get up. He reached the hallway just as Michaela was shutting the door. As their eyes met, Michaela said nothing; eying his growing belly with a look of disgust. Before Tommy could say anything, she was already hurrying up the stairs, slamming the door as she ran into her room. He felt Hailey's hand on his shoulder. "Just give her time." she repeated. And silently he prayed that she was right.<p>

* * *

><p>But as the next few weeks passed, nothing seemed to change. Every day after school, Michaela would leave as soon as the bell rang, go home, make herself something to eat and would be already locked up in her room before Tommy would even get home. Every attempt to speak to her was only met with a 'Leave me alone' or a mumble. When he announced in science class that he would not be teaching them for the rest of the year due to a 'large paleontology project out of state', he couldn't help but notice Michaela rolling her eyes to herself.<p>

Thinking he'd try again, he went to her room, but stopped himself as he reached the now always closed door.  
>"Who am I kidding?" he thought to himself. "She'll never change her mind…"<br>Walking back towards his room, he paused as he felt a slight movement brushing against his side and placed his hand where he felt the motion. It had been happening more often in the past few days; a bubble-like sensation as the baby moved and stretched to get in a more comfortable position. Despite everything he was facing, he managed to smile. Maybe one day, Michaela would actually be happy to get to know this person growing under his heart.

* * *

><p>Two days later, it was Hayley that stood outside Michaela's door; only a photo in her hands as she thought of how to reach her this time.<br>"Michaela," she said as she knocked on the door. "It's Hayley. Can I come in?"  
>She waited for a response before opening the door and stepping in. Michaela said deep in thought at her desk, working on her photo collage and trying to decide where to put a recently found picture of her mother.<br>"Wow. That's really turning out great." Hayley said as she looked over her shoulder.  
>"Thanks." Michaela said with a pleased smile. "I thought I'd try to get some extra work done on it during Thanksgiving break."<br>"Well I brought you another picture for your board. Thought you might like to have it."  
>"Thanks Hayley." she said, taking the picture from her hand. "Who's it…" She stopped mid-sentence as she realized what it was.<p>

In her hands was the black and white picture of sonogram.

"This…this was from yesterday right?" she asked quietly.  
>Hayley's eyebrows rose in surprise that she had even known about that. "Yeah. He had an appointment to check everything out; make sure everything's progressing normally."<br>"And?"  
>"It's going great. Everything's right on track."<br>"That's good." she said, more to herself than anybody as she ran her fingers over the picture.  
>"Do you know what you're looking at?" Hayley asked as she sat next to her on the bed, pointing out its arms, spine and heart, but Michaela hardly heard her. Seeing that baby for the first time was really making this real to her. After all, this was a tiny person and there was no denying it now; this baby was coming whether she was ready or not. Somewhere she thought she heard Hayley asking her a question.<br>"I'm sorry. Say it again."  
>"I said…" she repeated. "Do you want to know the sex of the baby?"<p>

The question kind of took her aback. She had spent all this time avoiding the subject and part of her wanted to keep it that way, but after seeing that picture; her curiosity was beginning to get the better of her.  
>"Does dad know?" she asked.<br>Hayley smiled and nodded.  
>"Well then…I guess I want to know too."<br>She grinned wider. "It's a little girl."

"A girl…" Michaela repeated softly. She chuckled a little to herself. "I have a little sister."  
>After a moment, Hayley spoke up. "I'm going to head on out. I'll pass by again tomorrow though. You have my number if either of you need anything." she said as she walked to the door.<br>"I will. And Hayley, thanks for taking care of my dad for me."  
>"No problem." she smiled as she left the room, leaving Michaela alone with the photo and her thoughts.<p>

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Michaela walked quietly down the stairs, unsure if her father was even awake. She found him in his bedroom, sitting in bed as he read a book and smiled when she realized that the book was resting on his stomach. She had always been used to seeing her father very trim, but this round bulge of his stomach was really weird to get her head around. Not knowing what to say, she cleared her throat, causing Tommy to look up from his book at her in surprise.<p>

"Hey."  
>"Hey…" she said softly.<br>He looked at the clock on the nightstand. Nearly midnight.  
>"I didn't know you were still up. Are you feeling alright?" he asked, concerned.<br>"Yeah. I'm fine. Just been thinking. What are you reading?" She nodded at the book in his hands.  
>"One of the books I had when I was carrying you." he said as she climbed up next to him in the bed. "Figured I should refresh my memory."<br>"Ah." She was quiet for a moment before saying, "Hayley showed me the sonogram picture today. Told me what it was too."  
>Only now did he take off his glasses to look at her. "She did? And what do you think?"<br>She smirked. "It's really something. Kind of a lot to take in though…"  
>"I can't say that I blame you." he smiled.<br>She chuckled; her eyes drifting back to his stomach. "So…" she started. "Can you…you know…feel her moving or um…is she…"

Her question was cut off as he took her hand and placed it on his stomach. For a long while, there was nothing.  
>"Dad, I don't think anything's going to happen…"<br>"Give it a little bit longer." he said.  
>Just when the silence was about to be uncomfortable for her, she felt the slightest movement under her hand.<br>"Oh my god!" she exclaimed, pulling her hand back quickly. "She moved! I actually felt her move!"  
>Tommy nearly laughed at her wide-eyed excitement. Placing her hand back, it wasn't long before she could feel the baby moving again.<br>"That's amazing…" she breathed. She looked up at Tommy. "Was I like that?"  
>"Pretty much." His voice was soft. "With all the moving you did, your mom was sure you were going to take after one of us." It was then that he noticed her wiping her eyes. "What's wrong?"<br>"Nothing." she smiled sadly. "I was just thinking that mom would have loved this… I really miss her."  
>He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. "I know… I miss her too."<p>

They sat there together in the bed for a while; her head resting on his shoulder. She had forgotten how much she had missed that.  
>"Dad…" she said after a while. "I'm really sorry about the stuff I did."<br>He was quiet as she spoke.  
>"You came to me when you needed me the most and I completely shut you out." She let out a breath. "And look what I've missed… But that's going to change." She raised her head to meet his gaze. "I don't want to miss anything else. I mean, I'm still not sure that I'm ready for this. But I'm willing to give it my best shot for you…and for her."<br>He squeezed her tight and smiled. "And that's enough for me."


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey you." Connor smiled as he looked over the top of Michaela's laptop.  
>"Hey yourself." she smiled back as he joined her at the table where she sat at the Cybercafe; a cup of hot chocolate in her hands.<br>"What are you looking for? A dress for prom?" he asked.  
>"Not likely. Trying to find a good price on a crib. That was the only thing mom didn't save."<br>He nodded. "How is Dr. O. anyway?"  
>"He's been good. He's at 7 months though, so he's been tiring out faster. I've just been trying to work on getting everything together; keep everything running smoothly, you know?"<br>"So you're not going to prom?" he asked.  
>"I don't think so. Prom's too close to dad's due date for me to be comfortable leaving him. Plus, prom's not really my thing. I don't really care much for getting all dressed up. Besides, I have colleges to fill out applications for, meetings with the student body, and…wait a minute." She looked at him with a wry smile. "Why the sudden interest in my prom?"<p>

"What do you mean?" he asked; looking nervous.  
>"Well you're a college freshman. I'm a high school senior. It's MY prom and you seem more interested in going than I do." She eyed him up and down. "Did my dad put you up to this?"<br>"Of course not!" he exclaimed. "But he did call me the other day…"  
>"I knew it!"<br>"Now before you get going, hear me out. You've really taken a lot of work on this year; in your schooling and your home life..."

Which Michaela had to admit was true.

"Your dad's really been worried about you and he just wants you to have a chance to enjoy your senior year." He continued. "So he mentioned to me that you might not be going to your senior prom and I decided to see if you'd go with me."  
>"So…dad isn't making you ask me?" she smiled.<br>He smiled back. "Nope. My own idea. So will you go with me?"  
>"You won't take no for an answer, will you?"<br>He grinned wider. "Not a chance."  
>"Well in that case… I'd love to go with you, Connor McKnight."<br>"Awesome." he said, feeling on top of the world. "So I'll be in touch with you soon, okay?"

"Okay." she said softly, feeling suddenly shy as he started heading towards the door.  
>And with one last smile and a wave, he was gone. Michaela sat there for a moment, in shock over what had just happened, but completely happy. She couldn't understand why she felt this way. Connor had always been just another friend to her. But now…<p>

* * *

><p>"Wow. Last year's high school soccer star. Not a bad catch Oliver."<br>Looking to see who said that, her eyes caught the gaze of Brittney McCall, a tall, pretty blond and one of the smartest and most popular girls in school. She also had a reputation of being one of the most manipulative people around.  
>"What do you want?" Michaela said rather shortly.<br>"Can't I just give you a nice compliment once in a while?" she said with feigned sweetness as Michaela held back a laugh.  
>"In the four years we've been in high school together, you haven't said three sentences to me that didn't include the words 'You suck.' Surely there's something else going on."<p>

"You're right. There is." She admitted, all sweetness gone. "But we'll get to that later. By the way, how's your dad?" she asked, suddenly changing the subject.  
>"He's fine." She replied nonchalantly. "He's just been doing his thing."<br>"Really? Cause I saw your dad's car at your house the other day. I thought he was supposed to be away traveling with an archeology project."  
>"He is." she said, thinking quickly. "He's just in town visiting me for a few weeks. You know dads; can't leave behind their little girls."<br>"Right. But then again, you're not the only little one in his life…are you?"  
>"What are you talking about?"<br>"Let's see if this rings a bell." Brittney said as she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and pressed a button.

Michaela's eyes widened as she could hear her voice coming from the speaker. As the recording kept playing, she realized it was from that night at the Cybercafe when she had told the others about her dad's pregnancy. And she had recorded everything.  
>"Oh my god…" Michaela said quietly as she felt the color drain from her face. Now she understood what was going on. With that recording, she could ruin everything.<p>

"Let me make this perfectly clear." Britney said. "I know what this could do to you. And unlike your little friends, I have no qualms with selling this recording to the highest bidder. But I'm willing to make you a deal."  
>Michaela shot her a look that could kill. "What is it?"<br>"I'll delete the recording and not notify the media if you just sign this." she said as she pulled a paper from her pocket and handed it to her.  
>Michaela's eyes scanned over then paper, then looked up. "You want me to resign from Student Body President?"<br>"Everyone knows that I should have won that election and if you wouldn't have run, it would have been a clean sweep. You sign this paper, I take over your position and your dad's secret is safe."

Looking at the paper again, Michaela swallowed hard. This was one of the things she didn't want to happen. She had worked so hard to earn that position; the last thing she wanted to do was give it up now. But there was so much more to lose if she didn't.  
>"You'll delete the recording if I sign this?"<br>"You can even delete it yourself." she said with an overly sweet smile.  
>There was no other way. Regretfully, she signed her name on the paper, then before handing it back, stretched out her hand. "The phone please."<br>Surprisingly, she willingly handed it over; saying nothing as Michaela permanently deleted the file from the phone.  
>"Pleasure doing business with you." Brittney said smugly as she left, phone and signature in hand as Michaela buried her face in her hands. Looking up as the doors shut, she then noticed an anxious looking Cassidy Cornell leave shortly behind her. Curious that something was going on between the two, Michaela decided to track her.<p>

"Why did you let her delete that audio file?" Cassidy nearly shrieked as she caught up with Brittney.  
>"Keep your voice down!" she snapped. "I made a deal." She said as she fingered the signed paper. "She signed the paper so I swore to delete the recording and that I wouldn't notify the media of Dr. Oliver's 'delicate condition.' I didn't say the whole school wouldn't find out. You still have the video you shot of him the other day?"<br>"Yes. But there's something I…"  
>"It's fine." Brittney interrupted. "We show that video at prom and it'll be the final nail in her coffin. She's always been one step better than me in everything. It's time for someone else to be on top."<p>

As the two of them walked off, neither noticed Michaela come out of her hiding spot in a nearby alleyway. She let out a breath. This wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot…

* * *

><p>Tommy was worried. Everything had been fine that morning when Michaela had left for school. But now she was extremely quiet; lost in thought as she picked at her supper and as they cleaned the kitchen. Connor had already called to tell him that she had said yes to prom. So it couldn't be that. Now they sat together on the couch, watching TV as Michaela flipped though the channels.<p>

"Michaela?"  
>"Hmm?"<br>"Everything alright?"  
>"Yeah. Why do you ask?" she replied as she kept absentmindedly pressing the channel button on the remote.<br>"Because that's the fourth time you've gone through all the channels and I saw there were at least three shows you would have watched."  
>"Oh…" She hadn't even realized what she had been doing.<br>He took the remote from her and shut the TV off. "Come on. Tell me what's on your mind."  
>She swallowed hard. He knew her too well now.<p>

"Dad, I did something terrible."  
>"What kind of thing?" he asked anxiously.<br>"The night you told me you were pregnant and I ran off, I went to the Cybercafe and Ethan, Connor, Kira and Trent were there. I was so upset and I just needed someone to talk to. Plus I knew they wouldn't tell, so I told them the whole story. But one of my classmates overheard and recorded the whole conversation on her phone. She found me today and told me she'd alert the media unless I made her a deal."  
>"What was it?"<br>"My resignation from Student Body President in exchange for her silence…"  
>"Oh Michaela…" he said softly, knowing the extent of what she gave up for him. "And what about the recording?"<br>"I deleted it myself." she replied, deciding not to tell him that there was a video out there still.

"I just feel horrible." she continued. "I said I was going to protect you and the baby and now look what's happened…all because I was upset…. I'm so sorry."  
>"You don't have to be." he said as he pulled her into his arms. "What you did today is one of the nicest things anyone's ever done for me. I know how hard you worked for that position and for you to give it up for us; I'm so proud of you."<br>"But what about the media..." she started.  
>"It comes with the territory" he replied. "Your mom and I avoided it the best we could when I was pregnant with you. We'll just have to be more careful this time around. Actually, that brings up something I wanted to talk to you about."<br>"What is it?"

"Well when you were born, I had you at a hospital. Somebody leaked the story and news crews, media circuits and everything were outside the entire time. Just bringing you home was an ordeal in itself. But Adam and I have been talking; everything's progressing normally and I think I'd really like to try to have the baby here."  
>"You mean 'here' here? At home?"<br>He nodded. "Adam seems to think that there's no reason we'd be unable to handle it here on our own. It would be just you, me, Hailey and Adam. And Adam's specially trained for this kind of thing if something unexpected happens. This would really be a chance for us to avoid all of that extra mess with the media; add to our family without the whole world knowing about it. What do you think?"

She placed her hand on his stomach, thinking about it for a bit and smiling as she felt solid kicks under her hand.  
>"Are you sure you could handle this?"<br>He put his hand on top of hers and squeezed it. "If you're helping me out, I know I could."  
>"Okay." she squeezed back. "Whatever you want to do, I'm behind you a hundred percent."<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

The night of prom, Michaela was a nervous wreck. Getting dressed up like this was totally out of her comfort zone. Not to mention tonight was her last chance to get the tape that would change their lives forever out of Brittney's grasp. But zipping up the back of her dress and attaching the clasp of her necklace, she looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. Despite everything that was swirling around her, she knew this would be a night she'd never forget. She glanced at the clock. 4:53 pm. Connor was going to be meeting her and Hailey at the house for 5 o'clock before heading off to prom. Hearing the doorbell ring, the room became a flurry of activity as she hurried to get done.

"Hailey, you look beautiful." Tommy said as Hayley stepped inside; her reddish-brown hair pulled into a loose bun and her jade green spaghetti strap dress flowing gracefully as she walked.  
>"Thanks" she smiled as she left a kiss on his cheek. "How're you feeling?"<br>"Fat." he replied, resting his hand on his stomach.  
>She chuckled. "Well your due date's in about a week, right?"<br>"Four days." he corrected. "And it can't come soon enough."  
>"Just wait until she gets here. You'll be changing your mind soon enough. You'll be okay here tonight?"<br>"Sure. Adam's in the other room so we're going to hang out here tonight." he said as he started shutting the door.

"Wait for me!" came Connor's voice as he hurried down the sidewalk in his tuxedo. "Sorry I'm late. I had to go pick up the corsage and…wow…" He stopped short as he caught sight of Tommy. He hadn't seen him in months and Michaela had tried to prepare his for this, but it was nothing like seeing it in person.  
>"Dr. O, you look…" he struggled for the right word since everything else coming to his mind wouldn't have been that nice. "You look good Dr. O."<br>"Good answer." Tommy replied with a smirk. "You look good too; all cleaned up and sharp. I really appreciate you doing this."  
>"It's no problem. I wanted to. She really needs to hurry up though. We need to get going."<br>"Let me see if I can get her down." Tommy said as he moved…or rather, waddled…to the bottom of the stairs.

"Michaela! Everyone's here! Are you almost ready?"  
>"I'm coming!" they heard from upstairs, followed by the sound of rushing feet that slowed down as she got closer to the top of the stairs. Nervously, she stepped into view, wearing a red wine, strapless dress that had little crystals scattered across the top of the bodice and that flared out at her waist. Perched in her soft curls was a red studded comb of her mother's.<br>"Too much?" she asked.  
>"Nah." Connor smiled. "You look great."<br>Relieved, she smiled. "Good. Cause I will probably never wear these heels again. They're killing my feet…"  
>"You really look beautiful." she heard Tommy say. "Just like your mother."<br>Smiling, she went to hug him and chuckled to herself when she remember that she couldn't reach around him anymore.  
>"Are you sure you're going to be okay here tonight?" she asked. "Cause I can always stay here if you…"<br>"For the last time, I'll be fine." he insisted. "Adam's going to hang out here tonight. We'll be okay. You go have a good time. You only get prom once."  
>She gave him a nervous smile. "Alright."<p>

After corsages and boutonnieres, pictures and a final reassurance that everything would be alright for one night, the two of them headed to the limo with Hayley in tow. Adam noticed Tommy's face as Connor took Michaela's hand in his.  
>"She's really growing up, isn't she?" Tommy asked quietly.<br>"Yeah. You sure you're ready to go through this again Tommy?"  
>He let out a long breath. "Don't know. But I don't really have much choice on that though, do I?"<p>

* * *

><p>Prom was unlike anything Michaela ever expected it to be. What had once been the school gymnasium had been transformed into what she'd call an outdoor paradise. Ivies wrapped around columns that had been placed around the room, crystal stones and candles sparked on every table and above them, strings of lights and Chinese lanterns hung from the ceiling to copy the night sky. And under normal circumstances, she would have been taking it all in. Except there were bigger things going on that night. Cassidy still had the video and if there was any chance of keeping a normal life, she'd have to convince Cassidy to delete the footage before Brittney found out. But as several songs played through, there was no sign of her. Until finally she saw her; standing by the stage in a pale pink gown and looking more than a little nervous as she stepped behind the curtain. Making an excuse that she was going to the bathroom, Michaela followed swiftly behind her.<p>

Behind the stage, Cassidy paced back and forth, holding the iPhone in her hands as if it were made of toxic waste. It was obvious to Michaela that she really didn't want to do this. Maybe she could talk her out of it.

"Cassidy..."  
>At the sound of the familiar voice, she quickly put the phone behind her back.<br>"Michaela! What are you doing back here?"  
>"I should be asking you the same question."<br>"Me? I'm...just hanging around."  
>"Really? Cause there's plenty of places to hang out in the gym; and probably a lot less lonely than back here. Why don't you come with me?"<br>"That's...that's okay. I think I'll stay back here a little longer."  
>She was stalling. Time to get to business.<br>"I know about the video tape."  
>"What tape?" she asked, playing dumb.<br>"I overheard the two of you talking the day Brittney made me resign from the student body. You have a video of my dad that I don't want the world to see. Right?"  
>Knowing there was no hiding it, she took the phone from behind her back.<br>"I didn't want to..." Cassidy was close to tears.  
>"Then why did you do it?"<p>

"I used to be at the top of the pyramid here." Cassidy explained. "But after I failed last year, I've pretty much fallen to the last rung of the social ladder. Brittney told me that if I helped her do this, she'd put me in her royal court as Homecoming queen. It was the boost I needed so I agreed."  
>"And that's worth it?" she looked at her in disgust. "You're willing to ruin our lives for a few months of popularity?"<br>"What are you going to do to me?" Cassidy asked. She knew very well who Michaela's father really was; no doubt she had learned something from him.  
>"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I have nothing here worth holding on to. So I can give up all of that. But I've got my father and sister to look out for. We'll figure out something. But you'll never forget what you've done to us. All for the sake of popularity. I hope you're happy."<br>Cassidy had the decency to look ashamed. "Michaela, I…I have to tell you something. You see, I …"  
>The sound of approaching footsteps sent Michaela hurrying for a place to hide behind a tall stack of boxes. Just as she was out of sight, Brittney stepped behind the curtain in a deep blue gown.<br>"Do you have the tape? It's almost time."  
>She held up her iPhone. "Right here. But there's something I've been trying to tell you about the video…"<br>"I'm sure it's fine. Just give me the phone so I can get it hooked up."  
>"I'm telling you Brittney…" Cassidy was insistent. "You need to watch this before you play it."<br>"Fine… Let me see it." As the video played on the phone's screen, Brittney's expression changed from shock, to confusion, to anger. The entire video image was completely blurred, making it impossible to even identify who was in the video, much less if the person was pregnant or not…  
>"You said you could handle this!" Brittney shrieked. "What happened? Isn't your boyfriend suppose to be this great filming genius?"<br>"Ex-boyfriend. We broke up 4 months ago. I had to make due with what I had and my filming skills aren't as good as his…"  
>"That's an understatement…" Brittney grumbled. "I can't believe this! That was my last chance and you ruined it! You've ruined everything! It's all your fault!" she screamed as shoved Cassidy hard, knocking her off her feet.<p>

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Michaela shouted as she stepped from behind her hiding spot. Brittney stared at her in shock, not realizing she had heard the whole thing. Helping Cassidy to her feet, she then turned to Brittney.  
>"You've already taken away everything I worked for this year. And I let you because it didn't matter to me if I had it or not. So take what you've got and just leave me alone. But if you ever threaten me or my family again, I swear I'll tell everyone how you REALLY won 'Prom Queen' this year…"<br>Not wanting to push her luck, Brittney decided that she would take her leave. As soon as she was out of sight, Michaela turned to Cassidy and smiled. "You messed up the tape on purpose, didn't you?"  
>She nodded. "Yeah. Your dad and your friends have done so much for our town to protect us and you're one of the only people that have ever given me a second thought, so it was the least I could do. Guess that's it for my popularity huh?"<br>She gave Cassidy a hug. "Don't worry. You don't need it."

* * *

><p>"You okay? I've been looking for you everywhere." Connor asked as Michaela and Cassidy came back into the main auditorium.<br>"Yeah…" she lied, sharing a secret smile with Cassidy as she walked off to give them some privacy. He didn't need to know that she had solved her own problem without the former red ranger's help. "Just can't stop thinking about dad… Maybe I should call and check in."  
>"Dr. O. is fine; I promise. Just try to enjoy yourself for one night." He smiled as the next song started, a slow one this time. She recognized the tune; a song from a movie she had seen with her mom before she had gone traveling. She had said it was one of her favorites.<br>Connor took her hand. "Dance with me?"  
>"Yeah." she smiled as she let him lead her onto the dance floor.<p>

_'You're in my arms_  
><em>And all the world is gone.<em>  
><em>The music playing on<em>  
><em>For only two.'<em>

She went to wrap her arms around his neck, but he instead took her hand in his and wrapped his other hand about her waist.

_'So close together_  
><em>And when I'm with you<em>  
><em>So close<em>  
><em>To feeling alive.'<em>

She felt short of breath as they took their first few steps in time to the music.

_'A life goes by._  
><em>Romantic dreams must die.<em>  
><em>So I'll bid mine good-bye<em>  
><em>And never knew<em>  
><em>So close was waiting<em>  
><em>Waiting here with you<em>  
><em>And now, forever I know<em>  
><em>All that I want is<em>  
><em>To hold you so close.'<em>

As the tempo changed, he started twirling her around the floor, causing the other students to spread out in a circle to watch and earning her piercing glares from an aggravated Brittney before she left for good.

_'So close to reaching that famous happy end_  
><em>Almost believing this was not pretend<em>  
><em>Now you're beside me<em>  
><em>And look how far we've come'<em>

"Connor…" Michaela said as she looked around uncomfortably. "Everyone's staring at us."  
>He looked around to and smiled. "Well, then let's give them something to stare at."<br>Grinning, she entwined her fingers in his.

_'So far we are_  
><em>So close.'<em>

With every step, Michaela felt she was dancing on air as Connor waltzed her around the room, twirling her in his arms. And for a brief moment, it was as if they were the only two people in the room.

_'Oh how could I face the faceless days_  
><em>If I should lose you now…'<em>

The music slowing, she felt his hand brush against her cheek and lifting her chin, he tenderly kissed her; her eyes slowly closed in complete pleasure.

_'We're so close to reaching that famous happy end_  
><em>Almost believing this was not pretend…'<em>

The kiss over; Michaela's eyes fluttered open. She looked at him, confused.  
>"Why did you do that?" she asked.<br>He looked at her through sad eyes and let out a breath. "I'm just really going to miss you when you leave for college…"

_'Let's go on dreaming_  
><em>Though we know we are…'<em>

Not wanting him to see her cry, she pulled him close; resting her head on his shoulder.  
>"I'm really going to miss you too." she said softly as they both swayed to the music.<p>

_'So close…_  
><em>So close and still so far.'<em>


	6. Chapter 6

The night of April 10 was one that Michaela would never forget. The day had started normally enough. Tommy was nearly a week overdue now, putting extra stress on the two of them, but she had decided against her better judgment to go to class that Friday morning. Afterward, she had spent a few hours with Connor before heading home to prepare dinner for Tommy and herself. He had mentioned getting a small pool to have on hand during labor and she checked it for the hundredth time that night that it would be ready to go when he was before turning in to bed early. It seemed like she had only been asleep for a few minutes before she felt a hand on her shoulder gently shaking her.

"Michaela, wake up." Tommy said.  
>Her eyes trying to adjust to the light, she looked at the clock. 11:39 pm.<br>"Dad, it's too late for this." she mumbled as she rolled over. "Can't it wait until tomorrow morning?"  
>"Well I could try…" he said. "but I don't think she'll stay in that long…"<br>That caught her attention. She rolled back over to look at him. "You're in labor?"  
>He nodded. "Contractions are 7 minutes apart and my water broke about 10 minutes ago."<br>"Oh god…" She felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest. "What do you want me to do?"  
>"First off, I…mmm…" His sentence was cut short as he suddenly leaned forward, both hands resting on her bed.<br>"Contraction?" she asked.  
>He slowly nodded, doing his best to breathe through the pain. Hurting to see him in so much pain, she did the only thing she could think of; letting him squeeze her hand as he breathed through the last moments of the contraction.<p>

"You ok?" she asked as he took a deep breath.  
>"Yeah. Just keep on doing that and that'll help." He said with a weak smile. "I already called Adam and Hayley and they're on their way. I'm getting in the shower for a little while. You keep an eye out for them when they get here."<br>"Okay. Don't worry. I've got everything under control." she said confidently as he left the room.

* * *

><p>She glanced at the time on her cell phone again. "11:56" she mumbled to herself as she resumed pacing in the kitchen. Who was she kidding? She was a nervous wreck. She checked the 3 large pots of water she had heating on the stove. Still not boiling yet. A text message from Connor sounded on her phone.<p>

'TOLD KIRA AND THE OTHERS. ANYTHING ELSE I CAN DO?'  
>'NO.' she texted back. 'WAITING GAME NOW… -_-' '<p>

Sending the text, she looked back at the time. 11:58. She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.  
>"Where are they?" she screamed mentally to herself. As if on cue, a knock came from the front door.<br>"Thank you." she said to herself as she hurried to the door, letting Adam in. On his shoulder, he carried a large black bag, no doubt with thing needed for the delivery. As she directed him upstairs to go check on Tommy, Hayley was next in the door. Catching sight of Michaela, she broke out in a wide grin and wrapped her in a hug.  
>"I can't believe this is really it. How are you feeling? Nervous?"<br>"A little." Michaela admitted. "I'm about as ready as I can be though."  
>Hayley looked over her shoulder at the pots boiling away on the stove. "You're boiling water?" she asked, smiling.<br>Michaela shrugged. "Doesn't everybody boil water at a time like this?"

* * *

><p>Three hours later, the bedroom was a hub of activity. Tommy had progressed quickly in the past few hours. Already at 8cm, he had taken to pacing the length of the bedroom, stopping only to lean on Michaela or Hayley when the contractions were too much to bear. And at three minutes apart and lasting about a minute long, that was more often than not.<br>"Really brings you back, doesn't it Tommy?" Adam asked as he sipped on a cup of coffee.  
>"Mmmhmm…" he moaned, swiveling his hips a little more as he leaned on Michaela's shoulder.<br>"What do you mean?" Michaela asked.  
>"It was just like this when you were born." Adam explained. "Quick labor, Tommy pacing and Kim doing whatever she could to help him. It won't be much longer."<br>Michaela thought for a moment; letting her mind picture the scene, imagining the thought the two of them must have had, knowing that they were about to bring a new life into the world. It just didn't seem fair that this was happening without her…

The sound of Tommy's breathing shifting brought her back to the present.  
>"You alright?" she asked, worried.<br>"It hurts…" Tommy groaned as he felt his legs were going to buckle beneath him and Hayley hurrying to catch him before they did.  
>"I think we may need to do something else." Adam said, getting out of his chair. "Why don't you try sitting in the pool for a bit? Give your legs a change to rest?"<br>As he slowly nodded, the three of them helped him over to the bed while Hayley hurried to get another shirt for him to change into.  
>"Michaela, maybe you should get your clothes changed too." Adam said as he pulled her on the side. "If he decides to stay in there, then I'm gonna need someone to help me out."<br>"You mean like helping you deliver the baby?" Michaela squeaked, the color draining from her face.  
>"If you really want to." he replied. "And I'll help you through it."<br>"I…I don't know. Let me think about it." she said uneasily as she went to go change.

But 20 minutes later, Michaela still wasn't back. Thinking something was up, Hayley went upstairs to find Michaela in her room, dressed in a bathing suit and shorts, sitting on the bed and mumbling to herself.  
>"Michaela…"<br>She looked up at her with a tear-streaked face. "I can't do this Hayley. I can't do this…"  
>Crossing the room, Hayley sat next to her on the bed, wrapping her arms around her.<br>"It's okay. You don't have to. I can help Adam out if he needs me."  
>"No. It's not that." she sniffled. "I want to help him. It's just that…it's not fair. Mom should be here for this. She should be the one helping him through all this, telling him that everything going to be alright. What if I can't be everything that he needs me to be right now? And what about my sister? She'll need someone to look up to, to help her be everything that mom would have wanted her to be. I just don't want to let them down."<br>"You won't." Hayley said. "Sure, you're going to make mistakes, say or do the wrong thing, but that's what you have all of us for and we're going to help out as best as we can. As for your dad, yes it would be better if your mom was here, but he's got the next best thing. He's got you. And that's what kept him going through all this."  
>She wiped the tears from her face as she started to calm down.<br>"You think you're ready to go back in there?"  
>She nodded. "Yeah. I'm alright."<p>

A buzzing sound came from her pocket.  
>"Who's calling you?"<br>"Oh." Michaela said, pulling the phone from her pocket. "It's probably just Connor checking…" Her voice trailed off as she read the text, then she tore out of the room down the hallway. Confused, Hayley picked up the phone. On it was a text from Adam with only two words.

'BABY'S COMING'

* * *

><p>"Come on Tommy. Keep going." Adam encouraged as he pushed again, letting out a low moan from where he sat in the small pool in his bedroom. Michaela and Hayley came running in soon after and were by his side in an instant, each supported him as he gave another hard push. Michaela could feel him squeezing her hand harder, holding back a scream as he could feel her moving further down with each push. The contraction over, he let out the spent breath, trying to rest before the next one.<br>"She's coming…" Tommy said with a slight smile.  
>Michaela smiled back as she left a kiss on his temple. "I know."<br>"It's not going to take too long." she heard Adam say. "Baby's head is right there."  
>Groaning, Tommy's hand reached for Hayley's.<br>"It's starting…" he managed to get out before giving in to the urge to push. Shifting his legs further apat he bore down hard while Michaela stepped into the pool with him, preparing to help deliver this baby in any way she could.

* * *

><p>Adam was right. It had only been a few contractions before he said that he could see the top of her head. Michaela could feel her heartbeat in her ears as more of the head slid forward with each push. The latest contraction over, Tommy leaned back against Hayley's shoulder, struggling to even out his breathing as he could feel the pressure getting stronger.<p>

Michaela squeezed his hand. "I'm so proud of you. You're doing great."  
>"You really are." Adam agreed. "She's got a lot of dark hair."<br>"Really?" he breathed.  
>"Oh yeah. A ton."<br>Reaching down toward the source of all that pressure, at the opening where his daughter was about to emerge from, he could feel the bulge of a tiny head; only a few inches out and covered in soft hair.  
>"Oh my god… There's a head!" he exclaimed as his fingers explored; the other three chuckling at his reaction.<br>The moment was gone all too soon as the next contraction started, pressure giving way to burning as he pushed hard and muscles stretching to accommodate her head. After a few moments, he could hear Adam saying that her head was crowning and to stop pushing.  
>"It's burning…" Tommy growled through grit teeth.<br>"I know. But she's coming on her own. You're getting her out through your breath. Just keep talking deep breaths." Adam encouraged.

As Tommy fought his body's urge to push and end it quickly, Michaela watched as more of the head become visible with each pant; forehead, eyes and nose showing themselves until with a shout, the rest of the rolled through the ring of muscle.  
>"God that hurt!" Tommy said loudly as he struggled to pant, Hayley wiping his face with a cold cloth. "Can I push?" he asked, but to no response. Looking down, he could see Michaela casting a worried look at Adam, while whispering something that he couldn't hear.<br>"What? What's wrong?" he asked, sensing something wasn't right.  
>"Wait for the next contraction." Adam said. "There's a cord around the baby's neck."<br>Carefully, he directed Michaela how to take her finger and gently remove the loose cord from around her neck so that it wouldn't be a problem later.  
>"Is she okay?" Tommy breathed.<br>"She's fine. Everything's alright." Michaela said. "She's got the cutest face dad. Can you see her?"

Looking down over his stomach, he could just see the back of her head, waiting for the next contraction. Reaching down again, he could feel her entire head in his hand, the hair already thick on her head and the tiny features of her face under his touch. He swallowed hard, blinking back tears, knowing that he was only a few pushes away from meeting this person that had been growing inside him the past nine months. And looking at Michaela's face, he could tell she was trying hard not to cry herself. Feeling the next contraction building, he shifted back into position, took a deep breath and pushed down hard, feeling her turning inside him to make room for her shoulders. Michaela was almost sure she had seen him smile as he pushed again.

"Come on Tommy. Just one more push and she'll be out." Adam said. But as he pushed again and then a second time, Tommy came to the realization that she wasn't moving. Thinking a different position might help, Adam had Hayley help move him to a squatting position, his hands grasping Michaela's shoulders. But as the next contraction started, he couldn't push longer than a few seconds before stopping.  
>"I can't…" he moaned. "I can't do this anymore."<br>"Yes you can." Michaela said looking up at him, knowing that it was just the exhaustion talking. "You're so close and you're almost done. But she's counting on you to get her out. Mom's counting on you too."  
>"Yeah Tommy," he heard Adam say. "Do it for Kimberly"<br>That seemed to be the motivation he needed. Taking a few deep breaths, he pushed hard, his body shaking from the effort and nearly stopped as he felt something shift.  
>"She's moving!" he gasped.<br>"That's good." Michaela exclaimed; the baby's head cradled in her hands. "Keep going!"  
>Pushing again, he let out a shout as one shoulder came free, followed by the other. The contraction over, he stopped to catch his breath. This would be it. It was almost over. Looking down, he could see a tiny face looking back at him, her head and shoulders in Michaela's hand as the rest of her remained inside him. His hands wrapped around hers as well, as he pushed one last time, the rest of her body slid out easily into their hands. And pulling her out the water and onto his chest, she immediately let out a loud cry of protest at the feeling of cold air on her skin.<p>

Out of breath from the experience, he moved to sit down, leaning back on the edge of the pool as Michaela moved closer to his side.  
>"You did it!" She was crying now, tears running freely down her cheek as she looked at the screaming baby on his chest. "Hi baby. I'm your big sister." The words felt weird as she said them. She looked up at Hayley, her face beaming. "Oh my god… I have a baby sister."<br>Hayley smiled; the tears in her eyes too. "Congratulations you two." She said before leaning over to give Tommy a tender kiss, handing him a towel to cover the baby in before moving to help Adam grab a few things to take care of the rest of the delivery.

Just the three of them alone now, Tommy took the wet towel and covered her in it to keep her warm. Still crying loudly, she wrapped her tiny fingers around his large one. Michaela was next to him, counting fingers and toes just as she knew her mother would have done had she been here.  
>"Hi sweetheart…" he cooed as he rubbed her back to keep her crying, studying her features and smiling at the brown hair already on her head.<br>"She's beautiful." Michaela said as she leaned in closer to the two of them and then chuckled. "Can you see who she looks like?"  
>Looking again at the baby in his arms, this time he saw it. "She looks just like Kimberly." he breathed. The color of her hair, her nose, her ears; every bit of her was from Kimberly. It was perfect.<p>

Michaela was hardly aware of anything else going on around her as Adam and Hayley started getting things ready to weigh her and the like. She was simply content; her father and sister in her arms.  
>She kissed his cheek. "I'm so proud of you dad. I know mom would have been…" she said softly.<br>She could feel him take a shaky breath. "Thanks." he said softly. "I'm proud of you too."  
>"So what are we going to call her? We never agreed on a name."<br>He studied again the baby girl in his arms, now staring at him with those big, deep eyes that he hadn't seen in so long. "I don't know. What do you think?"  
>She thought for a moment and smiled. "Melanie. Melanie Ann Oliver."<br>Tommy wiped a tear from his eye. Kimberly's middle name; she'd carry on Kimberly's middle name.  
>"It's perfect… I love it."<br>Looking down, he smiled. In his arms, he held his two girls. The ones that gave him reason to go on. To keep them like that in his arms forever would be the greatest thing in the world. They were the products of his and Kimberly's love and he knew that they would be everything they dreamed they would be. He kissed the top of Melanie's head, then Michaela's.

"My girls…"


	7. Chapter 7

Two months later, the Oliver house was once again a hub of activity. But for a completely different occasion; Michaela's high school graduation. It was exactly what Michaela wanted; not a massive party, just a gathering with her family and close friends. As the group sat down to eat, Tommy suddenly stood up.  
>"I'd like to make a toast." he said as he raised his glass. "To old friends," he said as he looked at Adam and Hayley. "To new friends," he added as he looked over at Cassidy where she sat next to Michaela. He nodded to Michaela and Melanie in her arms. "To new life, to family and to a bright future together."<br>"Here here." Everyone agreed, clinking their glasses together.

"So how have things been going for you guys the past two months?" Trent asked as Tommy sat back down.  
>"Pretty good. Haven't been getting a lot of sleep, but we were already expecting that." he replied. "Michaela's been a phenomenal help taking care of Melanie. In fact…" He looked over at his two girls; Connor talking to Melanie, trying to get her to smile. "I practically have to fight Michaela to spend any time with her." he grinned.<p>

As if on cue, Melanie started to fuss in Michaela's arms, the fuss quickly turning to cries.  
>"Dad…" she said nervously. He walked over, scooping her in his arms.<br>"Except when she cries…" he added. "Then she's all mine."  
>Watching him with Melanie, Michaela smiled. It was so different to see her father like this, but it seemed to suit him, she decided as he handled her with the skill of someone who had done this a million times, the sound of his voice changing her cries to coos.<p>

"So what's next for you two girls?" Ethan asked Michaela and Cassidy.  
>"Well, since I've finished high school, I've decided to head on to college to get my degree in journalism." Cassidy said excitedly. "I haven't given up on that dream yet."<br>"And what about you Michaela?" Connor asked; a trace of sadness in his voice.  
>"What about me?" she replied absentmindedly.<br>"When are you leaving?"  
>"Leaving?" She was confused now.<br>"For college."  
>Tommy nearly choked on his sip of wine. "Michaela, you didn't tell them?"<br>She chuckled. "Well dad, I haven't really had the chance to tell him yet."  
>"Tell me what?"<br>She smiled as she took Connor's hands in hers. "I've decided to go to college here so I can stay with dad and Melanie. I'm not going anywhere."  
>"Seriously? That's great!" Connor nearly whooped and couldn't stop himself from leaving a quick kiss on her lips before he remembered that her father was still there. He pulled away quickly as everyone else chuckled at his reaction.<br>"What are you planning to study for?" Kira asked.  
>"A medical degree." She replied with a smile. "I want to be a CNM."<br>"CNM?" Cassidy asked.  
>"Certified Nurse Midwife." Michaela explained. "I want to deliver children. Adam's actually going to be one of my teachers."<br>"Well if you're delivering them, then I'm sure they'll be in good hands." Connor said as he held out his glass to her.  
>"Thanks." she smiled, tapping her glass against his.<p>

"I can't believe you never told them until now." Tommy said as the excitement started to settle down.  
>"Well I'm not the only one who's got something that needs to be said; do I?" she said as she gave Tommy a wry smile.<br>"Right." he smiled. Handing Melanie off to Michaela, he then walked over to Hayley, taking her by the hand while everyone else turned in their chairs to get a better view.  
>"Tommy, what's going on?"<br>"Hayley, after I lost Kimberly, I thought my world was over. I was alone, pregnant, and had no clue of where we were going to go from here. And then you came back into our lives. You took care of us, you were the support we both needed, and helped us to keep going even when times were tough. And I realized something…something that I never thought I'd feel again."  
>"What?"<br>"That I love you. I never thought I could feel this way about anyone ever again and now that I do, I don't ever want to let that go."  
>Getting down on one knee, he pulled a diamond solitaire from his pocket. Tears started in her eyes as she realized what was going on.<br>"Hayley, will you marry me?"  
>Happy tears were coursing down her cheeks as she smiled. "Yes." she said softly.<br>And as he placed the ring on her finger, she rushed into his arms and kissed him causing the whole room to break out and cheers and applause.

* * *

><p>-ONE YEAR LATER-<p>

Michaela slid into a chair, exhausted from all the dancing that had been going on that evening. Sipping a little water, she looked around the reception hall. It was hard to think that only two years ago, they had been here for one for the worst days of her life. But now the entire Ranger family had gathered once again to celebrate the union of one of their own.

The day had been absolutely beautiful. Michaela had been Hayley's maid of honor, walking down the aisle in a red spaghetti strap dress with a black ribbon and holding a single white rose; a nod to Tommy's days as a Ranger. She had almost laughed out loud when she saw her dad standing next to Adam, his best man, at the end of the aisle, looking more nervous than she had ever seen him. Giving him a wink, she saw his face relax and nodded as she took her place by him. Several former Rangers were in the wedding party as well; especially Trent, Kira, and Connor. Next was Melanie, the flower girl. It started out well as she toddled down the aisle, but catching sight of her dad, with a squeal of 'Dada!' dropped her basket and ran the rest of the way down the aisle into his arms, everyone letting out a chuckle. Michaela could hardly help but smile. She had grown so much in the past year. Now at 14 months, she was the exact image of her mother, from her dark brown hair to her love of music and dancing, every day there was something new to discover about her. Leaving a kiss on her cheek, he handed Melanie off to Michaela, waiting for his bride to come down the aisle.

He had never seen her look so beautiful. Her hair was done in a bun, little strips of curls framing her face. In a white gown, she walked down the aisle, holding a bouquet of red roses and smiling a mile wide as each step brought her closer. It was so much more than just marrying the man she loved; she was also gaining two daughters, not something that everyone would be willing to take on. But she was ready, despite the challenges they would undoubtedly face, they'd make it through together. And as vows were repeated, rings exchanged and a 'You may kiss the bride' said, in that one moment everything had changed for the four of them.

Now as a slow song began, she smiled as Tommy and Hayley walked hand in hand onto the dance floor, followed by several other couples. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Connor heading in her direction.  
>"Hey"<br>"Hey you." she smiled. She looked him up and down in his tuxedo. "You look really good."  
>"So do you." he grinned. He reached out his hand. "Dance with me?"<br>"I thought you'd never ask." She said as she took his hand and let him lead her onto the floor. Completely worn out, she rested her head against his chest, smiling at the sound of his heartbeat and the feeling of his head resting on top of hers. Looking across the room, she watched Tommy and Hayley together on the dance floor, swaying to the music as Tommy gave her a tender kiss.

"So, are you okay with this?" Connor asked, following her gaze.  
>She thought for a long moment. "Yeah. Yeah, I am. I mean sure; no one really wants to see their dad married to another woman. But I don't think mom would have wanted him to be alone. She would have wanted him to move on and get married again, and if it had to be anybody, I'm glad it was Hayley." She smiled as Melanie toddled over to Hayley, giggling as she picked her up and squeezed her tight.<br>"Plus I really wanted someone to be a mother for Melanie." Michaela continued. "And Hayley really seems to love her. So as long as dad and Melanie are happy, that's enough for me."  
>Connor smiled, kissing her forehead. Two years had done so much for Michaela, molding her from a frightened teenager to the mature young woman that he had completely fallen for.<p>

"May I cut in?" Tommy asked, interrupting the moment as he tapped Connor's shoulder.  
>"Sure Doctor O." Connor replied as he gave him Michaela's hand and left them to themselves.<br>"Dad, I thought you were okay with me and Connor…"  
>"I am." he said as he fingered the ring on her left hand. "I just want to be the only man in your life for a little bit longer."<br>"Daddy…" she smiled, wrapping her arms around him as he hugged her tight. Over his shoulder, she could see Hayley dancing with Melanie, smiling and laughing with her as if she were her own daughter. She wiped away the tears forming in her eyes.  
>"What is it?" Tommy asked, concerned.<br>She chucked, tears still rolling down her cheeks. "I just can't believe it."  
>"What?"<br>"We're really a family again."  
>He smiled. "We always were."<p>

-The End-


	8. Bonus Chapter

Feeling the cold winter air picking up, Michaela McKnight tightened her grip on her coat as she got out of her car. She then opened the door to the back seat, grabbing a large duffel bag filled with various medical supplies. She smiled to herself. It had been almost five years since the last time a baby was born here; she never thought it would happen again. Then again, as Kimberly used to say, 'Love makes you do crazy things.'

It had started innocently enough. Tommy had said after Melanie's birth that she was the last one. But after he had married Hayley, they had started talking of giving her a sibling; one that Hayley would carry this time. And that was the plan…until the cancer. A routine examination had revealed that Hayley was in the early stages of ovarian cancer. Thankfully, it had been caught in time to be treated and she was now in remission, but the possibility of her carrying any children was out of the question. And being who he was, Tommy agreed one last time to carry their child. Now here they were, nine months later, preparing to deliver their last child at home.

But that wasn't what was making Michaela nervous, not by a long shot. She had delivered Melanie here before; that was easy. But Adam was currently out of town for two weeks, meaning that this time; she was handling it on her own. She swallowed hard and took a breath as she made her way up the sidewalk. Time to see if those past 4 years of medical training had paid off.

* * *

><p>"Kayla! Kayla! The baby's coming!" was the sound that greeted her as she stepped inside. Four year old Melanie Oliver came bounding towards her, her long brown hair brushed and braided, and already dressed in her favorite 'Dora the Explorer' pajamas. Kneeling down, Michaela let Melanie wrap her arms around her and squeezed her tightly back.<br>"The baby's coming soon!" she squealed in obvious delight.  
>"I know." Michaela smiled. "You want a little brother or a little sister?"<br>Her brow furrowed in deep thought that reminded Michaela so much of her mother. "Both!" she declared with a wide smile.  
>Michaela laughed. "I don't think you'll be able to pick both. How about a brother?"<br>She shook her head. "Both." she insisted.  
>"She's been saying that most of the evening." Connor's voice came from behind her. Standing up with a smile, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss.<br>"Hey. How's everything been going up there?"  
>He shrugged. "Don't know. Hayley wanted me to keep Melanie occupied, so I've been down here with her. Haven't really heard much of anything going on up there though."<br>"Well I guess I better get up there then." She turned to Melanie. "Now I want you to be a good girl and go to sleep for Connor, ok?"  
>Her bottom lip began to quiver. "But mommy and daddy always put me to bed…"<br>"I know. But they can't tonight. But hey, when you wake up tomorrow, you'll have a new little brother or sister. Alright?"  
>Melanie sniffled a little and nodded.<br>"That's my girl." Michaela said with a smile. She handed her off to Connor before heading upstairs.  
>"Wish me luck."<p>

* * *

><p>As she stepped into the bedroom, she couldn't help but be brought back to nearly five years ago when the three of them were in this same room waiting for Melanie to be born. Now Tommy sat on the edge of the bed, hands on his knees as he tried to keep on top of the wave of pain.<br>"How's he doing Hayley?" she asked as she quietly shut the bedroom door.  
>"Seems to be doing alright. The contractions are about 5 minutes apart and lasting about a minute long. He's really taking it like a man though." She smiled.<br>"Very funny…" Tommy muttered as he got to his feet. "You try it and see how you like it." He then smiled to let them know he was only kidding. "So how are you doing?" he asked Michaela as he started pacing. "Nervous without Adam here?"  
>"A little bit." she admitted. "But he's done a good job training me, so I'm about as ready as I could be. What do you need me to do for you though?"<br>Saying nothing, he motioned for her to come closer. As she did, he quickly rested his head on her shoulder, moaning as he swiveled his hips through the contraction. Michaela rocked with him; offering words of support as he panted. If it was anything like his last deliveries, it wouldn't be long before this baby made its arrival.  
>"So any last bets on what it is?" Michaela asked, knowing that for this pregnancy, they had decided not to find out in advance.<br>"I still think it's a girl." Tommy said as he straightened himself back up. "I've been carrying the same way I did with the two of you."  
>"Nah, I think it's a boy." Hayley grinned. "You're a lot bigger this time around. Besides, we've got two girls already. We need a boy around here for a change."<br>He gave a pained smile. "Well, I'll see what I can do then." he said as he wrapped his arms about her neck, his forehead pressed against hers as he breathed through the contraction. She looked into his eyes.  
>"I love you."<br>"I love…you too…" he breathed.

Later that night, a knock came from the door. Michaela looked at the clock and realized it was nearly 2am. Getting up from the floor where she had been coaching Tommy through contraction, she went to the door.  
>"Yes?"<br>"It's me." Melanie's voice came from behind the door. "I can't sleep. Can I come in?"  
>Looking over at Tommy and Hayley, they both nodded, signaling to let her in. She opened the door.<br>"Okay. But just for a few minutes."  
>Timidly, she stepped in the room; unsure of what to think of her dad sitting on the floor in obvious discomfort. She clung to Michaela's pants leg.<br>"Where's Connor?" Hayley asked.  
>"He's sleeping. We were watching a movie and then he started snoring." she replied which made Michaela stifle a laugh. She couldn't help but notice how nervous Melanie seemed to be; her eyes never leaving Tommy.<br>"What's wrong?" she asked.  
>She was quiet for a long moment. "What's wrong with Daddy?" Melanie finally asked.<br>"Oh sweetie." Michaela said as she crouched down to her eye level. "It takes a lot to have a baby. Daddy has to work really hard before the baby can come out. But he's going to be alright. I promise."  
>She looked back at Tommy, still unsure of moving.<br>"It's okay. You can come closer." he smiled; both Hayley and Michaela noticing he was having a contraction but trying to contain the pain so that he wouldn't scare her.  
>Slowly she stepped closer. "Are you okay?"<br>"I'm just fine." He lied as he took a deep breath.  
>"Sometimes when I don't feel good…" she said quietly. "You or mommy gives me a hug and it doesn't hurt so much. Would that help?"<br>He smiled at her. Leave it to a child to come up with that solution. Still, he let her wrap her small arms around his neck.  
>"Better?"<br>"Much better." he replied, a relieved smile growing on her face.  
>"Ok Melanie. It's time for you to go back to bed." Hayley spoke up.<br>"Okay." She put her hand on his round stomach. "Come out soon baby." she said to it before giving Tommy a kiss on the cheek good night and following Hayley down the hallway.

Michaela sat down on the floor in front of him.  
>"You don't have to hide it anymore. She's gone."<br>He let out a moan as he blew the breath away. "Oh god… It's coming…"  
>She wasn't expecting that response. "You're sure?"<br>He nodded. "It was getting bad when Mel was in here. There's a lot of pressure…god I need to push…" he groaned, feeling the familiar sensations starting. He hardly noticed Hayley come back into the room, shutting the bedroom door while Michaela helped him onto the seat. Feeling Hayley position herself behind him, he let himself lean back, taking deep breaths as he waited for the next urge. Michaela held her breath and swallowed her nerves. This was it and there was no turning back now.

* * *

><p>Nearly two hours of pushing later though, the head had still not emerged. She could see that Tommy was wearing out and was getting worried that if something didn't happen soon, he'd have to be taken to a hospital. Hayley was taking a cold cloth, cooling him down as she placed it on his face.<br>"Thanks…" he said wearily.  
>"No problem." she replied, kissing his temple.<br>Feeling the next contraction starting, he grabbed behind his legs, taking a deep breath and pushing down hard as Hayley and Michaela spurred him on to keep going, to push harder. Taking another deep breath, he pushed again as he felt the pressure growing at an unbelievable rate. Knowing from experience that he was a few pushes away, he came back for a third push and nearly stopped when he heard Michaela saying that she could see hair. Looking in the mirror, they could just start to see the start of a dark head of hair, only to slide back as the contraction ended.  
>"Crap it's going back in…" he groaned in despair.<br>"I know. But it came down so much more with that last one. You keep going like that and we'll have a baby in no time."  
>"I don't want to do this anymore… I can't do this…" he mumbled.<br>"Come on. It's so close. I know you can do this. This baby needs to come out. Now push. Hard as you can."  
>Putting his chin to his chest, he pushed hard and held back a scream; pressure giving way to burning as more of the head emerged. Not wanting it to go back in again, he quickly took another breath and pushed, feeling muscles stretch to accommodate the baby's head. With a cry of pain, he fell back against Hayley.<br>"I gotta stop…" he gasped, trying to pant.  
>"That's fine. The baby's head is already crowning. Catch your breath."<br>Looking down again in the mirror, he could just see the top of its head, covered in dark hair. Reaching down, he could feel the top of its head in his cupped hand, sticky and wrinkled under his touch.  
>"It's coming." His voice was choked with emotion as he felt Hayley kiss him as he realized she was crying. Feeling the contraction building, the moment was over all too soon as he felt the urge to push. His hand still on the baby's head, he groaned as his could feel more of its features starting to become visible and with a grunt, the rest of the head slid free, waiting for the next push.<br>"It's almost here." He could hear the excitement in Michaela's voice. "Just a few more for the shoulders and we'll have a baby."  
>But he could barely hear her; his body on autopilot now as the contraction was turning it on its own. Taking a deep breath, his hands reached for Hayley's as he pushed, desperate to get the rest of it out. The first shoulder came free with a pop, followed by the other.<br>"Reach down for your baby." he could hear Michaela saying. Looking down, his hands wrapped around the tiny body, supporting its head as the rest came out with a wet slurp.

Pulling it to his chest, the newborn quickly let out a loud cry as it took its first breath.  
>"We did it!" he cried, not caring of the tears flowing down his cheeks as he looked back at Hayley; smiling tears in her eyes.<br>"What do you mean 'we'? You did all the hard stuff." Hayley smiled. "What is it?"  
>Looking down, he smiled. "We've got another girl."<br>Hayley chuckled as she ran her hand down their little girl's back to calm her cries. Their daughter…it almost didn't seem real. Meanwhile, Michaela set about clamping off the cord, giving the scissors to Hayley to cut. That taken care of, the next thing was to get her cleaned off and weighed while they waited for him to complete the last phase of delivery. She was so involved in taking care of her new sister; she hardly noticed as Tommy let out a loud groan.  
>"Something's wrong…" he moaned.<br>Leaving the newborn wrapped in a warm blanket, Michaela hurried back over to where he still sat, his face showing pain as hard contractions started up again.  
>"The afterbirth?" Hayley asked, trying to keep herself calm for his sake.<br>Michaela shook her head. "Don't think so." she said as she put her hand on top of his round belly, applying downward pressure. "He shouldn't be in this much pain. Sorry dad, I need to do an exam."  
>As she did the exam, the realization of what was happening drained the color from her face.<br>"What is it?" Hayley asked, Tommy too deep in a contraction to notice.  
>"Did you know you were having twins?" she squeaked.<p>

"What?" they both said at the same time in shock. "You've gotta be kidding!"  
>"I can feel the top of its head, so I'm pretty sure that's it. Go ahead and give me a push." Michaela said, but Tommy was already bearing down hard as the second baby was making its way further down; no time to even think about the fact that there was about to be an extra baby coming. He progressed much faster this time and within a few pushes, the head was already crowning.<br>"Stop pushing. Blow."  
>Fighting the urge to push, his panting became faster as the head rolled through the ring of muscle to a loud shout. Looking down, he could just see the back of the baby's head.<br>"God that hurt!" he shouted.  
>"I know." she said as she checked for a cord. "But you're almost done. Just give me one more push."<br>Putting his chin down to his chest, he pushed down hard, only for it not to budge.  
>"Give me another one."<br>"You said just one…" he growled as he pushed again.  
>"Yes. And now I'm saying give me another one." she grinned.<br>As the shoulders shifted, the rest of the body slid out so quickly into Michaela's hands that she nearly dropped it.  
>"It's a boy!" she smiled as she held it in her hands.<p>

Leaning back against Hayley, Tommy struggled to catch his breath. He had made it, delivering two babies at home; a girl and a boy. But he then came to a horrible realization. The latest baby had not yet cried. Looking down, he could see the limp newborn laying on the floor and Michaela working feverously to get him to take a breath.  
>"What's wrong?" he asked, but to no response from Michaela.<br>"Why isn't he crying?" his voice was trembling and getting louder as he struggled to hold back the tears of sadness forming in his eyes. He could feel Hayley's arms tightly wrapped around him, shaking as she cried. He couldn't be dead. On the floor, Michaela tried to keep her mind clear, pushing the fact out her mind that it was her brother as she tried to decide what to do next. Taking her fingers, she flicked the bottom of his foot.  
>"Come on baby. Cry for me."<br>As she did, his tiny face scrunched up in aggravation and finally let out a tiny cry. Michaela thought she'd pass out when she heard that cry.  
>"That's it." she breathed. "Keep on crying."<br>Slowly but surely, his cries turned into loud wails.  
>"He's going to be alright" she smiled as she handed him off to a relieved Tommy and Hailey.<br>"Thank god…" he breathed as he examined the baby boy in his arms. "He's perfect." he said as he counted fingers and toes, smiling as he realized how many of his features were just like his. As Michaela placed the baby girl in Hayley's arms, Tommy gave her a soft kiss. In an instant, their family had grown by two and as he looked at Hayley, he realized that they wouldn't have had it any other way.

* * *

><p>Looking in Melanie's room, Michaela smiled as she realized that Connor was next to her, the two of them sleeping peacefully in her tiny bed. Kneeling next to the bed, she brushed the hair out of Melanie's face. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open.<br>"Kayla?" asked sleepily. Then suddenly, she remembered. "The baby's here?" Her eyes were bright.  
>As Michaela nodded, Melanie squealed in excitement, waking Connor up from a dead sleep.<br>"What's going on?" he mumbled.  
>"The baby's here! The baby's here!" Melanie squealed, jumping up and down on the bed.<br>Awake now, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he climbed out of the bed. "How are they doing?"  
>"Everybody's doing fine. They're asking for Melanie."<br>"Do I have a brother or a sister?" she asked.  
>Michaela grinned. "You'll have to go see for yourself."<br>The words were hardly out of Michaela's mouth before Melanie had taken off down the hallway towards her parents' room.

Softly she stepped into the room where Tommy and Hayley were both sitting in the large bed, both tired but happy. Smiling, he motioned her closer for a better look. As she climbed on the bed, her eyes got wide. In their arms were a two tiny, sleeping newborns.  
>"Two babies?" she squealed.<br>"You didn't tell us you were having twins!" Connor exclaimed.  
>"We didn't know either." Tommy smiled. "This little boy decided to hide on us. Really took us both by surprise."<br>"It's a little boy?" Melanie asked softly. "And is the other one a boy too?"  
>"Nope." Hayley said as she moved the blanket to let her get a closer look. "This one's a girl. You have a little brother and a sister."<br>She beamed at Michaela where she stood by Connor, his arms wrapped around her. "I told you it was both!"  
>She laughed. "You sure did."<br>"So what did you decide to name them?" was her next question.  
>"I'm holding Garrett and Hayley's got Ariel."<br>"Garrett and Ariel Oliver. Nice. It really fits them. So you think you'll do this again Dr. O?" Connor grinned.  
>"Absolutely not." Tommy said firmly. "Four kids are plenty enough. I don't think there will be anymore babies around here for a long time."<br>"Well maybe there's room for one more…" Michaela said with a sly smile.  
>Tommy's mouth dropped as he picked up on what she was saying. "You're kidding. You mean you're…"<br>Michaela nodded excitedly. "Yeah, I am."  
>"What? You're what?" Connor asked still confused.<br>She turned to face him and took his hand. "Connor…I'm pregnant."  
>His eyes were wide with shock. "You're pregnant? How…how far?"<br>"Six weeks. Are you happy?"  
>Without a word, she suddenly found his lips pressed against hers, scooping her up in his arms. "What do you think?" he grinned.<br>"I think I'll take that as a yes." she said as he kissed her again. He placed his on her still flat stomach and smiled.  
>"I just can't believe it… Why didn't you tell me sooner?"<br>"Well I wanted to be a hundred percent sure and I just got it confirmed today. I was going to tell everyone tonight, but then things got a little crazy around here."  
>"Well this baby will have a rich family history; both your parents being rangers and me as a red ranger. Who knows? He could be a third generation Red Ranger."<br>"Or maybe she'll be the first female red ranger." she replied, emphasizing the 'she'.  
>He grinned. "That'll be great too."<br>"Oh! I almost forgot!" she said suddenly as she ran to get her camera out of her bag. "We need a picture for my board."

Michaela stood back from the wall to take it all in. On it hung her collage project, filled with pictures of memories old and new, pictures of her parents, sonogram photos and wedding portraits. And in the middle of it all sat the picture of the night that their family truly became complete.

"Perfect."

-The End- (Really!)


End file.
